Destitute families in Tswaing local municipality received social relief of distress in the form of food parcels from Social Development MEC Basetsana Sussana Dantjie as part of Thuntsha Lerole service delivery reloaded programme.
On Friday, MEC Dantjie led a team of social workers to needy households and distributed over 120 food parcels to impoverished families at Matshelapad ,Delareyville, Agisanang township and Geysdorp.
The distribution of food parcels started on Monday at Thawane village where 105 families were once affected by floods.
The food parcels are comprised of large packets of mealie meal, sugar, baked beans, salt, vegetables, rice, tea, tins of fish and bottles of cooking oil for each of the families. They provide essential sustenance and are a critical lifeline for people living below the breadline by offering immediate relief from hunger.
“Before we intervene in the plight of households in dire need, we assign our social workers to do profiling of individuals and families in any given area. The profiling process put us in the right stead to know families or individuals who are experiencing undue hardships in their homes and take it upon ourselves to provide social relief from distress for such needy households,” MEC Dantjie told the beneficiaries during her door to door visit in the area.
The Department, Dantjie said, will continue to support families that are in need of help while on the other hand, will try to help children who need care and protection from the identified families.
Of great importance, Dantjie called on the beneficiaries to grow vegetables at their backyard to alleviate poverty.
She vowed to link the beneficiaries with Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist them in starting small scale farming , a move she described as a drive to tackle food insecurity in a sustainable and impactful manner.
A 52 year old Maria Thamaga from extension 7 in Delareyville said she is grateful to receive food parcels for the first time. She said her family depends on social grants. They have been struggling because she and her husband are sickly and unemployed. They appreciate the good gesture that government is showing to them during Thuntsha Lerole.
ENDS.
Issued by North West Department of Social Development
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